Reality Hits

So, today I realized my limitations. At least in part. I'm still working on my Master's degree, and I actually took a class last semester (yes - I did have a baby while I was taking a class). I had enrolled for one class this summer and another in the fall. I figured I could handle one class. I'm home all day, right?

Wrong.

The class started this week, and today I started to panic. Baby D's still not napping very well during the day. (She sleeps well at night. Don't think I'd trade that for daytime napping.) So, it's pretty hard for me to get anything done. I'm still struggling with laundry and meals. So, after talking to Brad and a few good friends, I dropped the class. I now get to petition to see if I can get a full refund instead of just a partial one. Yes, this is day four of my class and I can't get a full refund.

I, the overachiever, am at peace about waving the white flag. In addition to learning how to be a parent, I'm also learning how to say no. It's a hard lesson for me. For the most part, I've always been able to balance everything and to be able to do it all. Not so much anymore. I guess I'm having to change my definition of "all."

Settling in

So we're settling in to a bit of a routine. Still not a great schedule yet, but we'll get there. I find myself saying that a lot lately. We'll get there. I think we're finally beginning to emerge from our 6 week growth spurt. This one was much better than the last one.

I'm struggling to find any of my summer clothes that fit. I'm clear to start exercising again. Yeah!! I just need Baby D to sleep a little longer so I can do some bootcamp.

I need to say again how blessed I am to get to stay home with her. She started crying in her sleep just now, and I am so glad that I get to be the one to comfort her. God is good.

Pictures of Darcy

Darcy & Mommy

Daddy loves holding her this way.

parenthood = on-the-job training

Well, parenthood is the most challenging job I've done. I've learned about breastfeeding and survived the first growth spurt. We're tackling making good sleep habits, and I'm working on being more relaxed about everything.

All in all, being a parent is better than I could ever have imagined. It's tough, and knowing how fast she's growing up already breaks my heart, but I love every second. I'm very blessed to be able to stay home with her.

Posts will probably be pretty short, but I'll try to write my thoughts and musings on this new chapter in our lives.

Darcy is already 9 pounds 14.5 ounces and 22 inches long.

Baby is here!

Well, Darcy is finally here. We went in to induce on the 7th, and I was already having contractions. We started Pitocin early in the morning on the 8th, and 22 hours later, Darcy Elizabeth Conley was born. I'll spare everyone the specifics . . . She was born at 3:34 AM on April 9. 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and 21 1/4 inches long. And absolutely beautiful!

We're adjusting to baby time now that we're home. I've had to adjust my expectations and realize that time just really doesn't matter. We're just focused on getting full feedings so she can sleep.

I'll try to post some pictures soon.

Here Goes Nothing

Well, April 7 has finally come. We've hit our due date.

Yesterday was my last day at work. Still hasn't really sunk in yet, but that's okay. I'm content to live in a state of denial for a little longer.

We're getting ready to head to the hospital to induce here in a few hours. It doesn't seem real at all. We've packed our bags, made the preparations, my belly's huge, and sometime tomorrow (probably), we'll be the parents of a little girl.

The final days

Well, we are in the final days of this pregnancy with Baby Darcy. At our doctor's appointment on Thursday, I was dilated to a 1, and the doctor talked to us about scheduling an inducement. We are due on Wednesday, April 7 and are scheduled to induce on April 8. Just a few more days!!

At work, the word is out. They have made the announcement that I am not going back to work after the baby is born. It wasn't an easy decision by any means, but we strongly believe that this is what God is asking us to do and that it will be best for our family. So, I will be a stay-at-home-mom! My last day of work is Tuesday. We are very excited and feel very blessed to have the ability to make this decision. So many don't. We're still talking with work about the possibility of doing some contract work from home, but we'll probably cross that bridge in a few months. Definitely need to adjust to life with Darcy a bit first!

Brad and I have been trying to enjoy this last weekend before we are officially parents. We worked on painting Darcy's tables to look like lady bugs (I'll post pictures soon), and Brad worked on organizing the garage. Then, we went and had lunch down on the Plaza at PF Changs, where we had dinner for our anniversary the day we found out we were pregnant. The weather this weekend has been gorgeous! We walked around the Plaza, got some gelato, and just enjoyed being together. Today looks to be more of the same weather. Brad is mowing the yard, and I'm working on Easter dinner.

Baseball season starts tonight (officially tomorrow, but gotta love Sunday Night Baseball!). So, this afternoon, Brad and I will continue our beginning-of-baseball-season tradition to watch Bull Durham and grill out for the first pitch.

As I contemplate today, Easter Sunday, I think about the amazing sacrifice of Christ and the hope we now have because of the empty tomb. As we're about to bring a daughter into the world, a world full of bad, terrible things and one full of beauty, I know some people question the idea of bringing a child into the world with all of the potential for bad things. But, God quietly brought to mind today that this is why none of that really matters. His grace, the salvation through Christ's sacrifice and the empty tomb, the hope we have of eternal life - these are the reasons why none of that matters. Ultimately, God has provided everything that Darcy will need in the days to come. His sacrifice is enough.

10 days left, but who's counting??

Okay, we have 10 days to go. And they seem like they will take an eternity. But, I know that April 7 will be here before we know it and that our lives will never be the same once she gets here.

But, in the meantime, I have come up with a list of questions that I'm tired of answering and the answers I really want to give but don't because I'm too polite.

1. "When are you due?"

Due? Due for what?

2. "How long do you have left?"

About 30 minutes.

3. "How are you feeling?"

Terrible. Pretty darn uncomfortable. How do you THINK I'm feeling? OR I feel like running a marathon. How do you THINK I'm feeling???

4. "Are you excited?"

No. I'm wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea.


I really think that people ask these questions because they don't know what else to say and they feel like they need to say SOMETHING. However, when you're this pregnany, even complete strangers are asking these questions.

For the record, I've been feeling pretty good. The swelling is kind of getting to me, and like ALMOST ALL pregnant women at this stage of pregnancy, I'm uncomfortable most of the time. And, we're very excited for her to get here. And, as noted above, we have 10 days left until the due date.

But, sometimes I just get sick of answering the nice way. :-)

Still Pregnant

Had a doctor's appointment today. Short appointment, and the verdict is still pregnant and not a lot that gives hope of that changing in the short term. We're still two weeks out, so I guess that's okay. She can cook a little longer! Still having contractions randomly, though. Those are pretty uncomfortable.

We still have a few things to do to prepare for Darcy to arrive. I still have lots of things to wash and put away. And, I need to paint the tables in her room to look like lady bugs. Hopefully we'll have enough to keep us busy until she gets here. I'm not good at waiting!

They Keep Telling Me This Is the Home Stretch

So, we're getting to the point where I'm so tired in the evenings that I don't have the energy to get on the computer and post anything to keep everyone updated. But, the short update is that I'm still pregnant!

We've been busy prepping for Darcy to arrive. We have her room pretty much ready to go. I have a few more things to clean up and put away. Still need to paint her tables to look like lady bugs. Probably a project for next weekend. We still have a few odds and ends to pick up, too. Not too many, and none exactly essential before she arrives. I've started transitioning things at work, which has been a surreal process. I guess I'm still having a difficult time wrapping my brain around the sheer amount of change that is going to occur in the next few weeks.

We are about 3 1/2 weeks away from our due date. I've started having some contractions. Nothing really regular yet, and none that are painful. But, they've started happening more frequently and for a little longer duration. I have a feeling she'll still keep us guessing as to when to expect her arrival. Hopefully we'll find out a little more at our next doctor's appointment on Wednesday.

Here are some pictures we took last Friday. Yes, I know it's a big belly!

So, it's been a while . . .

Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted. We had our first baby shower (pictures below). Tera did a great job of planning, but no amount of planning can compensate for lack of power. So, we all had a great baby shower by candlelight, complete with a generator, shop lights, and lots of coats and scarves. But, it ws still great to be with friends and family. Very generous friends and family. Darcy got lots of GREAT stuff!

Some of my good friends - Amy, Andi, and Jesse

Leah (my sister), Mom, Tera, and my Grandma

Grandma Bookout, Aunt Alisa, and my mother-in-law, Janet

So many cute clothes!

Trying to guess who brought Darcy this book . . . It was my mom.

Thanks to Tera for a wonderful baby shower!

This week has proved to be interesting. Last weekend, we got to spend time with Brad's family, and we picked out a glider for Darcy's room. It took a little while to figure out which one we wanted, but I'm very pleased with the one we have. It will serve us well for all of the little ones God has planned for us.

Then, on Monday night, I came down with the flu. The full-blown, really gross flu. Apparently it dehydrated me enough that I started having contractions, which was a little scary. But, I knew it wasn't REALLY labor. But, still. I wasn't even able to keep water down. So, Brad called the doctor in the morning, and she sent us to the hospital for fluids and monitoring. I was actually still having contrations, just not as close together. Things settled down after IV fluids and being able to keep some food down, and we were able to go home.

I've spent the last couple of days trying to recouperate. Should be back to work tomorrow. I know my parents have been concerned. They've been calling and texting a lot. Brad has been great. He stayed home to take care of me on Tuesday (which was great, considering we were at the hospital for a good chunk of the day). I am SO blessed to have such a wonderful husband. He is going to be a fantastic dad. I'm so excited to watch him with our daughter.

We were 33 weeks along yesterday. So, seven weeks to go. We have a baby shower at Brad's office tomorrow, one at my office next Friday, and another with our friends and family in Kansas City. It is so nice that so many people care.

My belly is officially huge. I'll have to get a picture posted this weekend. I had a lady at Dillard's ask me if I was about to pop. She was horrified when I told her that I still had seven weeks left. Nice. We've hit the stage where people feel free to comment on your size. Since when did that become okay, for the record?

I can feel Darcy's every little movement now. She is moving A LOT! My belly is starting to have corners, I think. Different body parts poking out here and there. I'm trying to enjoy every minute, as uncomfortable as I am, because I know that this is a time that we will never have again. It is one to be treasured. As much as we will enjoy having Darcy here and enjoying every second with her, the time for us to feel her move now is limited. The time we have as just the two of us is limited. It's a gift, and I want to treasure all of the gifts God has given us.

Home Stretch, or So They Say . . .

Here are the pictures of my belly I keep promising. It is definitely bigger. Much bigger.

27 weeks

27 weeks Not my most flattering picture. Thanks, Babe!

28.5 weeks

Days keep going by, melting into weeks as we wait for Darcy to decide to make her appearance. (I can definitely wait a little longer, though. She still has some cookin' to do!) It's amazing to me that so many weeks have gone by already. It's definitely gone faster than I thought it would. I'm sure that the rest of the time is going to drag on now.

Brad worked on Darcy's closet today. I am so blessed to have a handy husband! He outfitted her closet with adjustable shelves that he built himself and a drawer system so that we have plenty of storage. He did such a great job!! Now, it just needs to be painted.

We still have quite a bit to do in Darcy's room. Still have some of my books and things to relocate. But, her furniture is all set up.

13 weeks and counting

So, the countdown has begun. We only have 13 weeks until Darcy is supposed to arrive. She is definitely an active little girl. My belly is starting to visibly move when she gets going! We have also discovered that she really likes hot chocolate . . . That's my girl!

We finally got our furniture ordered. On New Year's Day. Didn't really expect to order it then, but it was an offer we couldn't refuse. And it wasn't the color I thought I wanted, but again - offer I couldn't refuse. Here's what it looks like.

We got the crib and the dresser, but not the armoir. Should be in within a week to 10 days. Very excited to get her room set up. The bedding came in, too. Lady bugs!!

My belly is definitely getting bigger and bigger. I'll have to get another picture posted soon.